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Adam Hanieh

Reader in Development Studies at SOAS, University of London. His most recent book is Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle East (Cambridge University, 2018).

At the People’s Summit for a Global Pact of Solidarity with Migrants and Refugees, held in Marrakech December 8th and 9th of 2018, hosted by La Via Campesina and its member organisations of the Middle East and North Africa (MeNa) Process, the global peasant movement and its allies have issued a scathing critique of the Global Compact on Migration and rejected it.

WE WEREN’T expecting much, as the ministers had been peppering the media for two days...and we were indeed not disappointed. However, Macron’s speech tonight revealed the nature of his policy, even as it falters against the movement of “yellow vests.”

Faced with the mobilisation of the yellow jackets, the government began to retreat, announcing the abolition, for the year 2019, of the increase in fuel taxes. The government, which was showing its "inflexibility" just a few days ago, is panicking and trying to put out the fire it started itself.

The call for donations we launched has been a success. Several thousand euros have been donated. In addition, we have received a commitment to donate a considerable amount of labour to finish the translation whch is now moving ahead rapidly. With these donations, the IIRE and Resistance Books can now plan the publication of the book in mid-2019.